Art is a beautiful process in which a person can mix their feelings, political ideology, and anything else that circulates through their thoughts and turn it into a painting, sculpture, or anything else that allows them to express their feelings. Artists can then choose whether they share that art with the world, and their piece then becomes open to any interpretation that someone viewing the piece may feel. When I walked into University Galleries on Tuesday, I was not expecting to feel any certain way about the art I would be viewing that day. Until I walked into a room, and I saw it.

There was a large sculpture, larger than any piece in the rest of the gallery. I immediately felt a strong sense of intimidation by this piece. A large, blank faced figure staring back at me, as if it was challenging me to examine it further. As I approached the piece, I felt a sense of openness. The figure stood there, its arms extended out, exposing every inch of the exhibit, leaving nothing to secret. The leather jacket and black lipstick served to enforce the feeling of intimidation I mentioned above. Yet, the attention to detail drew me in and made me feel excited by this large figure. I felt as though there was a deeper story to tell, however, I couldn’t figure out what it was exactly.

As I walked around the rest of the gallery. I could not seem to get my mind off that one sculpture. As I looked at canvas after canvas, all I could think about was the giant figure in the corner of the gallery. When I returned to the exhibit where I first encountered my paper mache adversary, I began to examine the rest of the exhibit around it. There were obvious trends emerging, with strong ties to the LGBTQ community. Everything was so obvious, except for this one figure. I had to go back and figure out what it was trying to tell me.

As I walked back towards this daunting figure, I came back with a different feeling than I had before. Whereas there were intimidation and confusion before, I found that aggravation and determination had taken its place. For whatever reason, I needed to understand this sculpture. As I examined the figure again, I was constantly debunked by this prestigious figure, its blank face had a story to tell, and I just couldn’t read it. Then I saw them. They were right in front of me this whole time, and for some reason, I couldn’t see them until now. Adorning the jacket were several buttons which up until now, I had put aside as nothing more than technicalities. However, as I examined the buttons, I realized the hidden meaning behind this figure.

There were several buttons adorning the jacket, however, I was beginning to understand the meanings behind the piece. One button read “Do the police a favor, beat yourself up”. Another simply said “DYKE”. Several of the other buttons were decorated in gay rights and women’s rights groups. I began to the see the figure not as an opening piece, but as a messiah figure, crucified and martyred on a cross of social injustice. My feelings of optimism and curiosity quickly turned into feelings of isolation, almost a feeling of being uncomfortable. Not for any feelings of resentment or spite towards the movement, but because I felt that I didn’t belong, that the piece was not meant for me. I felt as if I was not allowed to appreciate the art that I had spent the better part of an hour obsessing over.

As I was about to give up on this sculpture and go back to examining canvases that I couldn’t understand, I saw it. There was once again a button that I had overlooked. It was a white pin, and inside of it was a Gaelic symbol. When I looked up the sign, I discovered that it was a symbol of eternal love. In a piece that I have just viewed as closed and exclusive, I found a meaning of love. And I began to see the sculpture again in a different light. As something that was meant to represent the struggles of a generation yet was an invitation of acceptance and love for everyone. I just needed to be brave enough to really look at it. It made me remember when my best friend came out to me as gay, and in that moment, I did not feel anguish or defeat. The piece made me remember what I felt then and still do today, hopefulness and love for others.